Every year before the World Championship tournament starts, teams keep roster spots open for NHL players who are eliminated in the first round of the postseason. The New York Islanders fell in the first hurdle, so Brock Nelson has been added to Team USA.
Brock Nelson’s Career With the Islanders
Nelson has spent his whole career with the Islanders, who drafted him 30th overall at the 2010 Draft. Now a rugged 32-year-old veteran, Nelson took some time before he achieved his best offensive season, setting a career-high of 75 points (36 goals and 39 assists) last season and was only six points short of that total this season. Nelson is like a fine wine – he’s maturing well.
Skating on the second line between Hudson Fasching and Kyle Palmieri, Nelson was an important part of the New York Islanders’ attack this season. The Isles scored 245 goals, and with his 69 points, he was involved in 28% of the goals scored by the team. That’s very respectable for a 12-year veteran. Of course, playing on the first power-play unit helps.
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In a star-studded lineup at the World Championships, Nelson will probably fill a lesser role than what he’s used to, but, at the same time, he will likely have the best opportunity of his career to win a gold medal on the international stage.
Nelson’s International Experience
This isn’t Nelson’s first time on Team USA; he’s suited up for the World Championships five times, including four in a row from 2014 to 2017, when he was named an alternate captain. He has a bronze medal to show for his effort so far, which he won in 2015; he also won bronze at the World Junior Championships in 2011. After a seven-year hiatus, he’ll return to the lineup for the 2024 edition.
Team USA is headed to Czechia with plenty of firepower, including Brock Nelson (obviously), Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, Mikey Eyssimont, Joel Farabee, Johnny Gaudreau, Kevin Hayes, Luke Kunin, Ryan Leonard, Shane Pinto, Will Smith, Brady Tkachuk, and Trevor Zegras.
On the blue line, Team USA will also be strong with Luke Hughes, Seth Jones, Matthew Kessel, Michael Kesselring, Jeff Petry, Jake Sanderson, Alex Vlasic, and Zach Werenski. Trey Augustine and Alex Lyon will man the net.
The 2024 World Championships will kick off on May 10, when Team USA will face off against Team Sweden in the preliminary round. They’ll then face Germany on May 11, Slovakia on May 13, France on May 16, Poland on May 17, Kazakhstan on May 19, and Latvia on May 21 to wrap up the preliminary round. The quarterfinals will be on May 23, the semi-finals on May 25, and the medal rounds on May 26.
Team USA should have no trouble reaching the quarterfinals, given their Group B preliminary-round matchups. Meanwhile, in Group A, Canada, Finland, and host Chechia will be battling it out with Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Great Britain and Austria. Expect Canada, Czechia, Finland and, likely, Switzerland to come out of Group A. The exercise is not so simple for Group B. Team USA and Sweden are likely picks, then maybe Slovakia and Latvia?
Now that the Islanders have been knocked out of the playoffs, the World Championship is a great way to prolong the hockey season, especially with so much talent on the Team USA roster.